Windows 10: How to get Windows Key, old drive failed losing all info

My hard drive became corrupted and unusable during a Reset My PC operation. The fastest solution was to buy a new hard drive and reinstall Windows. I am using the computer but skipped the Windows Key because it was lost on the corrupted drive. Yes it was backed up but I'm not sure where to find it on the backup - like looking for a needle in a haystack.


Windows was registered on this PC, what computer info do I give Microsoft support for them to look it up?

:)

 

Unable to see info on USB drive

Check if the drive is assigned a drive letter.

Press Windows key + X

Click Disk Management

If you see your drive listed there, but no drive letter, right click it

Click Change Drive Letter and Paths

Click Add

Click Assign the following drive letter

Click in the Drive letter list box

Choose a drive letter - try choosing letters near the end of the alphabet

Click OK

Click OK again

If that does not work...

Press Windows key + X

Click Device Manager

Expand Disk drives

Right click the external drive

Click uninstall

Exit Device Manager, restart then check if its detected.

OR

Step 1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog

Step 2. Type regedit and press Enter

Step 3. Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_Machine > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services > USB

Step 4. If the USB key does not exist into the list, then create a new key USB under Services. Now create a new DWORD value under the key that you’ve just created

Step 5. Keep the USB key selected and right-click on the blank space at the right pane

Step 6. Select New > DWORD value from the context menu

Step 7.Rename this newly created DWORD value as DisableSelectiveSuspend

Step 8. Right-click on DisableSelectiveSuspend and select Modify

Step 9. Put 1 in Value data field and then click OK

Step 10. Reboot your PC

 

Hard drive/ OS issue

a guy suggested :

• shutdown
• unhooked HDD
• restarted
• yay !!
• reconnected HDD
• restarted
• yay !!

also , try method 3
Fix: 'The Drive Where Windows is Installed is Locked'

 

Need some help. Old HDD. New laptop.

Yes, that would be a favorable solution if possible. But it requires what I said as a first step. Once he gets booted into the OS, then he can either use it as is or try to recover the product key. I'm not saying he couldn't do what you said, I was replying to another post that suggested simply copy/pasting documents from the old hard drive.